Infected

Chapter 2

As Xia walked over to the shadowy figure the aircraft hit some heavy turbulence, rocking the ship rather hard and making her stagger towards the figure in a clumsy fashion. This elicited a light chuckle from the figure. He got up and helped Xia stand a little more upright.

"Forgot how to walk much?" The figure asked.

Xia, getting a little irritated by the remark, snapped back. "Hey, it's not my fault the freaking aircraft decided to throw me around!"

"Sorry, didn't think you'd be so harsh.... let me start over, my name is Gage, I'm here to get that experimental drug as I'm assuming you are too."

"Well, yeah." Xia said, still irritable, "I'm Xiavhonn, but everyone calls me Xia."

"Nice to meet you Xia; is that your friend over there?" Gage asked pointing over to Mikayla who seemed to be day dreaming at this point.

"Yeah that's Mikayla, she sometimes goes by Mikky... she's the clumsier one of us two, but we get by on what we have."

Gage went back to his seat, almost as if standing up was killing him. He grunted in pain and shifted every now and then just to get comfortable. The seats weren't that comfortable in the first place, but it seemed awfully hard for him to find comfort. Xia knew Mikayla could get comfortable in any situation while Xia, herself, was picky, but in here could find some type of comfort. Gage, on the other hand, was looking the only comfort he would get would be in his death or this possible cure. This almost mad her regret how she acted within in the first few seconds of them meeting... almost, but even then he needed something or someone to take his mind off the pain.

"So how long have you've had the Infection?" Xia asked sitting down next to Gage.

"I think I've had it for about a year and a half now", Gage responded.

Where she came from, people didn't live for more than a month or two before they completely turned into the full on Infected. A year and a half was a long time to suffer through something like this. So she took it back: Xia was completely regretting how she acted.

"I've only had it for five weeks now", Xia replied still shocked on how long he's had it, "where I come from people die within two months, but a year and a half!? I would've never thought that was possible... sorry about how I acted earlier, I can get irritable when it comes to dry humor like that."

"No need for an apology, at least you weren't a complete jerk about it."

"I guess, but I still feel bad."

Mikayla, seeing Xia with this weird guy, decided to get up and walk over there. Talk some sense into him about taking her pillow that she was about to use. As she walked over, she made her presence clear by tripping over a lose strap, stumbling over towards them and, with some grace, sitting next to Xia.

"Hey, bruh", Mikayla said with a tilt of her head, trying to act tough, "whatcha doing with my pillow?"

"What?" Gage replied in confusion, "I don't think I have your... pillow."

"Oh she just means me", Xia explained, every time we have to sleep upright she uses me as her pillow."

In satisfaction, Gage rested his head back in his seat, resting the back of it on the cold, hard metal of the Aircraft's interior. Most of the time he slept, but every now and then the three of them collectively would joke around, talk about their lives before this "miracle", and sleep.

"So I heard they need only AB negative and O negative blood types", Gage started, "I assume you two are one or the other."

"I'm O negative while Mikky is AB negative", Xia answered, "how about you, what's your blood type?"

"AB negative", Gage replied, "In all honesty I'm surprised to see another AB negative person... really rare now and days."

"I thought it was always rare." Mikayla piped up looking confused.

"It is", Xia explained to her, "just more than ever now... isn't it like 0.3% of people have it now, even though I don't know how that works."

Gage just nodded sitting up with his hands on his thighs. Mikayla decided to put her on Xia's shoulders while Xia drifted off to sleep. Hours passed by and all the teens could see was the same whisp-like clouds and the greenish hue in the sky, but after a while the sky seemed to produce far away buildings, some more intact than others. The city was cleaned unlike the other city they've seen, which have rubble, trash and other debris everywhere. Russia, well this part of Russia, wanted to keep sanitation at it's best even if it was the middle of the end.

As they landed slowly, they saw a man in a white coat and two escorts in biohazard suits. The man was not young, but old. His wrinkled face showed that he was weary, but filled with wisdom. The man had a white coat on with a olive green shirt and tan pants on. He looked like he was waiting for them patiently, knowing what to expect when they landed. When the Aircraft landed it's thrusters went into the vertical position and it started to descend slowly towards the circle marked with the white H. As the dust settled the hatch opened slowly letting the Sunlight seep in, making the children block their eyes using the arms

The man scurried up to them and beckoned them inside. "Come, my guest and please hurry."

Everyone ran inside, but Gage stopped to listen.. and it rewarded him. There was a loud roar as if something was ready to fight any in it's path. Helicopters flew overhead to the direction of the roar. All of a sudden he felt someone grab his wrist, it was Xia and she wasn't to happy that he was just "staring into space".

"He said LET'S GO! SO, LET'S GO!" Xia yelled firmly dragging Gage towards the others.

Gage was just dragged along to preoccupied by the roar. All He could think was about the thing outside the lab. He could almost hear it talk to him. All it said was:

"Come child, come prove your worth to me..."

Alright creature, Gage thought, I'm coming for you

It roared again as if in response. But this time Gage swore the thing was talking to him.

"You're hatred is weak child, but after this you won't need death in order to fuel your progress... none of you will...."